Reference Resources for Sociolinguistics
Sociolinguistics is the study of the relationship between language and society. Sociolinguists may investigate linguistic variation correlated with social categories, style, or attitudes; the use of language in interaction to affirm the relative status of participants, norms of interaction and audience, or the social construction of self; the development of languages in contact; or the efforts of society to regulate linguistic choice through education or language policy and planning. (From the entry for Sociolinguistics by Gerard Van Herk in the International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences, 2nd ed.)
The Routledge Handbook of Sociolinguistics Around the World by Publication Date: 2023Drawing on examples from a wide range of languages and social settings, The Routledge Handbook of Sociolinguistics Around the World was originally the first single-volume collection surveying current and recent research trends in international sociolinguistics. This new edition has been comprehensively updated and significantly expanded and now includes over fifty chapters written by leading authorities.
The Oxford Handbook of Sociolinguistics by Call Number: onlinePublication Date: 2013The Oxford Handbook of Sociolinguistics emphasizes new methodological developments, particularly the convergence of linguistic anthropology and variationist sociolinguistics, and includes chapters on sociolinguistic developments in areas of the world that have been relatively neglected in the major journals.
The Handbook of Historical Sociolinguistics by Call Number: onlinePublication Date: 2012Written by an international team of leading scholars, this groundbreaking reference work explores the nature of language change and diffusion, and paves the way for future research in this rapidly expanding interdisciplinary field.
The Cambridge Handbook of Sociolinguistics by Call Number: onlinePublication Date: 2011The most comprehensive overview available, this Handbook is an essential guide to sociolinguistics today. As well as linguistic perspectives, the handbook includes insights from anthropology, social psychology, the study of discourse and power, conversation analysis, theories of style and styling, language contact and applied sociolinguistics.
New Books on Sociolinguistics at UBC Library
Library Subject Headings
UBC Library, like most academic libraries, uses Library of Congress Subject Headings. Books on Sociolinguistics can be found in the UBC Library catalogue under these Subject Headings:
Sociolinguistics: Key Journals
The Journal of Sociolinguistics is an international forum for leading research on language and society. It is open to both established and innovative approaches to sociolinguistic research. The Journal promotes the building and critique of sociolinguistic theory and encourages the application of social theory to linguistic issues. Language is regarded as not only a reflection of society, but as itself constituting much of the character of social life.
The International Journal of the Sociology of Language (IJSL) is dedicated to the development of the sociology of language as a truly international and interdisciplinary field in which various approaches – theoretical and empirical – supplement and complement each other, contributing thereby to the growth of language-related knowledge, applications, values and sensitivities.
Language in Society is an international journal of sociolinguistics concerned with language and discourse as aspects of social life. The journal publishes empirical articles of general theoretical, comparative or methodological interest to students and scholars in sociolinguistics, linguistic anthropology and related fields. Language in Society aims to strengthen international scholarship and interdisciplinary conversation and cooperation among researchers interested in language and society.
Discourse & Society is a multidisciplinary, peer-reviewed journal whose major aim is to publish outstanding research at the boundaries of discourse analysis and the social sciences. It focuses on explicit theory formation and analysis of the relationships between the structures of text, talk, language use, verbal interaction or communication, on the one hand, and societal, political or cultural micro- and macrostructures and cognitive social representations, on the other hand.
Websites & Bibliographies
- Linguistic Politeness Research GroupEstablished in 1998, Linguistic Politeness Research Group aims to bring together researchers who are working on the analysis of linguistic politeness and impoliteness.
- Gender and Politeness Bibliographyby the Linguistic Politeness Research Group
- Studies on LGBTQ Language: A Partial Bibliographyby Gregory Ward
- Chinese Language and Gender: An Online Bibliographyby Marjorie Chan
- Gender and Joking Bibliographyby Helga Kotthoff (archived in 2008)